Chapter 1 Kelly's Predicament

Kelly gasped for breath behind cover, a bullet graze on his cheek peeling back skin and flesh as blood mixed with sweat and dripped down.

He had almost followed his teammates into death beneath the sudden hail of bullets.

"What the hell was that monster?!"

The long-haired man roared in terror, his face pale, blood gushing from a gunshot wound in his abdomen.

In the darkness, two red lights flickered, like a wild beast ready to devour its prey. Before the horrified eyes of Kelly and the long-haired man, the Ranger Generation 1 revealed its full form. Ten gun barrels smoked, its neckless appearance surprisingly cute, making it hard to connect to the killing machine it had been moments before.

"A robot?!"

Kelly's eyes widened.

He bitterly regretted not trusting his instincts; his carelessness had almost wiped out the entire team.

What should he do now? Kelly considered retreating. He could earn more money, but if he lost his life, he'd lose everything.

After the initial shock, the long-haired man was consumed by extreme rage. He roared as he emptied his magazine at the Ranger Generation 1, "Die, die, die—"

The Ranger Generation 1's flimsy armor was dented by the submachine gun fire. Seeing this, Kelly and another teammate joined the counterattack.

[Your mechanical creation [Ranger Generation 1 (Tracked)] loses 14 armor points...]

[Your mechanical creation [Ranger Generation 1 (Tracked)] loses 17 armor points...]

...

The Ranger Generation 1's armor material was subpar and couldn't withstand the damage. Its armor value plummeted. After the initial burst, both ammunition belts were empty, turning it into a useless hunk of metal.

There was nothing to be done about it. After all, resources were tight. Han Xiao hadn't loaded the Ranger Generation 1 with more weapons; equipping it with two small-caliber machine guns was already the limit. He was poor, after all.

"Tsk, why hasn't Division 13 made a move yet?"

Han Xiao clicked his tongue in annoyance. He didn't believe the covert agents would tolerate the mercenaries running rampant for much longer.

As expected, he didn't have to wait long. The sound of boots pounding the ground rapidly approached. Just from the sound, one could imagine heavily armed soldiers moving with steady precision.

"Everyone, drop your weapons!" someone shouted in the darkness, their tone stern and bloodthirsty.

"We need to retreat, now." Kelly's heart sank.

The long-haired man, still furious, unloaded the last few bullets in his magazine into the nearly wrecked Ranger Generation 1 before saying, "Okay, let's go."

Just then, Han Xiao manipulated the Ranger Generation 1 to move. It rapidly approached the mercenaries' cover. Suddenly, the Ranger's chest swelled with fire, exploding with a deafening roar.

The blast wave spread in all directions, raising a whirlwind of dust. The surrounding area was instantly engulfed in a sea of fire.

Self-destruct!

The orange flames illuminated the night!

Dozens of meters away, Li Hui and the other field agents were startled by the explosion.

"Damn it," Feng Jun cursed under his breath. The order from above was to avoid causing too much of a commotion, but now the flames could be seen from kilometers away. He could already imagine the headlines in tomorrow's newspapers.

The situation had spiraled out of their control from the moment Han Xiao and Li Mao exchanged fire. The gunshots were too obvious, attracting the attention of many civilians. The Hornet squad hadn't moved yet, so Li Hui and the others had to obey orders and wait anxiously.

By the time the Hornet squad entered the battlefield, the agents couldn't wait to take action, wanting to minimize the impact. However, the Ranger Generation 1's self-destruction had ruined their plans.

The long-haired man and another member were killed in the explosion. Kelly, covered in soot, was utterly terrified by Han Xiao's methods. Without a word, he turned and ran.

Han Xiao brushed the dirt off his hair, not at all distressed by the loss.

The Mechanic class's combat style was all about consuming various machines. He possessed the blueprints and could rebuild them as long as he had the resources. Just gaining the manufacturing experience was already a profit, not to mention he had killed several people.

Li Hui could only vent his anger on Kelly, firing from a distance, his killing intent chilling.

"Trying to steal my kill?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. He had to kill all the mercenaries to complete the hidden requirement. If Kelly was killed by someone else, his efforts would be in vain.

With that in mind, Han Xiao moved, making a wide arc to avoid Li Hui and the others, intercepting Kelly up ahead.

Kelly stopped in terror, sensing that Han Xiao's aura was completely different, giving him an immense sense of danger.

"Die!"

Kelly gritted his teeth and raised his gun.

Just as his finger was about to pull the trigger, Han Xiao suddenly bent over, his center of gravity sinking into his feet. He swayed his body from side to side, like a seasoned boxer's footwork, his movements light and elusive like a ghost, rapidly closing the distance.

Kelly fired in panic, but Han Xiao dodged or blocked all the bullets with his mechanical arm.

"Not a single hit?!"

Kelly's face was incredulous. He had seen Han Xiao's physical abilities; they were about the same as an elite mercenary, far from meeting the standards of a superpower user. He couldn't possibly be faster than a bullet. This proved that Han Xiao had completely predicted every angle of his shots. Only battle-hardened ace soldiers had such terrifying experience. Even in his mercenary career, he had only seen two or three ace mercenaries with this level of skill!

Han Xiao chuckled. Compared to dodging the endless barrage of space fighters with a mech in the past, this level of prediction was a piece of cake.

Having run out of bullets, Kelly hastily retreated, fumbling to reload his magazine. Han Xiao instantly closed the distance with a straight charge, filling Kelly's face with terror.

Han Xiao hunched his back, his bones cracking. Strength flowed from his feet, growing like an avalanche, surging into his left hand, driving the light-duty power arm to swing in a full arc, unleashing a powerful haymaker!

A perfect combination of strength and steel!

"Overload!"

The sound of the air pump piston and the meshing gears suddenly sped up. *Clack, clack*—the cooling pipes spewed out a plume of black smoke, instantly increasing the power by 30%. The steel fist slammed squarely into Kelly's face.

Critical hit!

Strength crushing!

Kelly's face was instantly smashed open, splattering bright red fluid everywhere.

One-hit kill!

Li Hui and the others finally arrived, and this was the scene that greeted them:

Kelly's body slumped to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut. Han Xiao's face was splattered with blood, and the flames cast mottled shadows on his expressionless face. The fist of his left hand's savage exoskeleton mechanical arm was stained with large pieces of flesh, dripping hot blood droplets.

Even the battle-hardened field agents couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

[E-grade mission [Pursuit] completed, gaining 10000 experience.]

[Hidden condition completed: Killed six pursuers, gaining Skill Upgrade Card (Basic), claim?]

"No." Now was not the time to claim it.

"Don't move!" Li Hui snapped out of his daze and quickly raised his gun.

Han Xiao remained expressionless, took off the light-duty power arm, and raised his hands. Two agents quickly stepped forward and put a black hood over his head.

His vision went completely dark. Han Xiao felt himself being pushed forward, knowing that he was being taken to Division 13.

I've finally waited for you guys!

Feng Jun glanced at the battlefield and sucked in a breath of cold air. "He killed all six mercenaries. Did he fight with these machines?"

Li Hui's expression was grave. "Take all the parts he left behind. Notify the police department to handle the cleanup."

With that, the group escorted Han Xiao into a car and drove away, coming and going in a hurry. They felt like they had just been there to make up the numbers, not having played any real role, which frustrated the field agents.

Han Xiao sat in the back seat, sandwiched between two agents. Although he couldn't see anything, he could feel the attention of the other agents on him.

Behind the black hood, a strange smile crept across his face.

Although there was a slight deviation, the situation was, so far, within his expectations.

No one spoke in the car. A silent and tense atmosphere spread among them. Only the sound of the car driving filled their ears.

Li Hui and the others were ordered not to speak to the target before reaching their destination. Han Xiao's calmness, however, made them glance at him frequently, as if he had already guessed they would appear.

...

Li Mao looked at his badly wounded subordinates, his face gloomy.

"Bring me the computer!"

Logging onto the dark web and entering the bounty section, he immediately saw the bounty with Han Xiao's picture.

"Zero, bounty of one million, posted by Germinal Organization?!"

Li Mao's expression changed drastically. His hands trembled, and the computer fell to the ground.

He really was a wanted criminal! And a wanted criminal of the Germinal Organization, the leader of the underworld!

If he had known earlier that Han Xiao was such a dangerous figure, how would he have dared to make a move!

Ma Jie and Huang Mao arrived, panting, and stared dumbfounded at the traces of the battle, trembling with fear.

Li Mao was furious when he saw them. He kicked Ma Jie to the ground and roared, "Damn it, this is all your fault! I won't let you off!"

Ma Jie clutched his stomach in pain, cowering on the ground like a quail, not knowing what he had done wrong.

Suddenly, the alarm blared. Seven or eight police cars blocked the entrance of the junkyard, and heavily armed police officers in bulletproof vests swarmed in.

"Hmph, the police are always late." Li Mao straightened his clothes and went to meet them. In his view, he was the victim. Moreover, he had connections in the seventh district and had ties in the police station, so he wasn't worried.

But before he could speak, the heavily armed police officers strode forward, pinned him down, and directly put him in handcuffs.

Li Mao was stunned, struggling and yelling angrily, "What are you doing? I'm the victim, okay? I know your chief's secretary..."

"Don't waste your energy," the heavily armed police officer holding him down said calmly. "Division 13's orders."

Li Mao's eyes widened. Division 13 handled major events concerning national threats. Why would they come after him? He must have been caught up in some kind of event. Han Xiao's figure flashed through Li Mao's mind. He couldn't think of any other possibility.

Division 13 was actually supporting him?

Suddenly, a clear line emerged in his mind.

Germinal traitor... Division 13... Star Dragon... intelligence...

Li Mao suddenly understood.

This was a hit!

From the moment Han Xiao deliberately took off his mask in front of him, the outcome was already determined.

A trap!

Li Mao could no longer remain calm. He trembled like a sieve, completely consumed by fear and anger.

"Han Xiao! I'll fuck your ancestors!!"

Ma Jie was directly frightened by the spectacle, foaming at the mouth, and collapsing to the ground.